


Packed Lunch

by GremlinSR



Series: Falling Up [2]
Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: BAMF Peter Parker, Bullying, Don't copy to another site, Female Peter Parker, Gen, Irondad, Protective Tony Stark, Sexual Harassment, That tag should not be needed, tony stark takes no prisoners
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-26 08:42:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20927357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GremlinSR/pseuds/GremlinSR
Summary: Who would have guessed that an Iron Man lunchbox could be weaponized?





	Packed Lunch

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sequel to [It's a Little Bit Like Falling Up](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20620004/chapters/48962219), so I would read that first. :)

Any worries that Penny might have harbored about fitting into the Starks’ lives faded quickly. 

She slipped into their world as if she’d always been there. She played with Morgan and spent time in the lab with Tony and had girls' day out with Pepper. She still patrolled a few times a week in Queens, though Tony and Pepper had set down rules and guidelines that were stifling but probably fair.

Tony had already been Morgan’s main caretaker for years while working part-time creating technology for Stark Industries, so he was the one that drove her to school and packed Penny’s lunch and signed her permission slips. 

“Here,” Tony said and handed over the Iron Man lunch box he’d insisted on giving her. It was temperature controlled on the inside and required her fingerprint to open because he couldn’t even keep himself from tinkering with her and Morgan’s lunchboxes, of all things. A few people had made fun of her for having a children’s lunchbox but Penny didn’t care. She loved it, of course, she did, Tony had made it for her. 

“Noodles and dumplings. If your - if Pep asks, there were vegetables involved. Lots of vegetables.”

Penny took it from him and chewed on the corner of her lip, deciding not to think too hard about what he might have been about to say before he caught himself. Then she leaned up and kissed his cheek before she could talk herself out of it.

“Thanks,” she said then escaped to her room to collect her books without checking for his reaction. 

There had been plenty of hugs and affectionate gestures from Tony and Pepper the past two months, but this was different. She used to give Ben and May a kiss on the cheek before she left for school every morning. It hadn’t been that long but she already loved Tony and Pepper so much that it just felt natural. 

Tony didn't say anything when she came back out but he did wrap his metal arm around her shoulders. “Come on, Morgan, time to go to school! You’re going to make your sister late!” Penny ducked her head but knew Tony saw her smile before he went to drag Morgan from whatever was keeping her. 

She did end up being late for school by a few minutes but the teacher just accepted her note with a smile. She’d been getting a worryingly large amount of leeway since Tony told Mr. Morita that he was her guardian and asked him to keep it quiet. She assumed Mr. Morita had told the teachers to go easy on her, though she couldn't figure out what reason he gave them. 

It was disconcerting, but Tony had pointed out that as a Stark she’d have to get used to people treating her differently. And that it wouldn’t always be in a good way so “it balanced out.” Penny mostly thought it was embarrassing. Her tardiness was always related to Spider-Woman or Tony and Morgan’s inability to get anywhere on time, though, so she tried not to dwell on it. 

Flash, of course, had noticed the new trend of Penny never getting in trouble for her frequent tardiness or skipping of classes. He had mostly left her alone the past few months and she assumed that was also a result of Mr. Morita’s new quest to make the secret future-Stark as happy as possible. She couldn’t decide whether he was hoping for sizable donations or for Morgan Stark to apply to Midtown when she was old enough. Probably both. 

Whatever it was that Morita had said to him to keep him in line it had resulted in Flash spending a disturbing amount of time brooding in her general direction, his glares getting more and more intense as time went on. Mostly she just brushed it off. She’d been so happy these past few months between finding a family and her friendship with Melissa and Lenny that it didn’t seem important. 

Today’s tardy must have been the last straw, though, because he strode over to her at lunch, all false bravado and bitter rage, sending her spidey sense tingling mildly up her spine. “Saw Stark drop you off _ late _this morning through the window,” he said. “I guess that internship came with a few perks, huh?”

Penny exchanged a look with Melissa and decided to stick to her usual and just ignore him. In true Flash fashion, he kept pushing. “I mean, I thought it was weird that he’d choose _ you _ of all people as his intern, but now it’s pretty clear why after that walk of shame.”

Penny’s whole body went still before she turned towards him and looked him in the eye. He smiled, sharp and smarmy, probably ecstatic to finally get a rise out of her. He leaned towards her but didn’t bother to moderate his volume. “That’s right. Tony Stark doesn’t need some girl’s help in the lab, but he might need her for...other things.”

A glance around proved that there were no teachers in sight, though they had gained an audience of students. It even looked like someone had taken out their phone to record her being bullied. Awesome. “Leave me alone, Flash,” she said while she slipped the fork she’d just accidentally bent finger-shaped marks into inside her lunchbox and closed it.

“What, don’t want anybody to know how you earned that internship?” His voice was so suggestive that it made Penny’s cheeks heat in a combination of humiliation and anger. 

“You’re disgusting, Flash,” Melissa said. Penny glanced over at her, surprised at her sharp tone. Melissa was almost always soft-spoken. “It’s not surprising that you’re the type of guy to accuse a woman of something like that when she proves herself better than you.” There were a few _ oohs _and sounds of approval from around them and Melissa blushed but didn’t look away from Flash. 

His face turned a darker red and his hands clenched at his sides. Penny wanted to groan at the signs of an imminent Flash tantrum. He was always unpleasant but when he was challenged he tended to take his bullying too far. “Please, why would an intern be staying the night with Tony Stark, huh? I wonder if Pepper knows. Hey, maybe she likes to _ watch -” _

“Shut _ up, _ Flash,” Penny said and slammed her hand down on the table while she shot to her feet. A small voice in the back of her mind was screaming at her to back down, that she couldn’t lose her temper because she could hurt somebody. Flash was just a normal guy, it wasn’t a fair fight. 

A memory came to her of Tony explaining why they couldn’t just let what Hanson had done to her go after the whole New Jersey fiasco._ What you don’t realize is that you’re setting precedent. _

“Or what? Gonna tell your sugar daddy I’m picking on you?” There were a few intakes of air and titters and he smirked and straightened, secure in the fact that he was once again the center of attention. “Yeah, don't think I haven’t noticed all the new clothes, the laptop, the shoes. No way an _ orphan _ could afford all that.”

Penny’s nails were biting into the palm of her hands and her breath was starting to come in short bursts. She could handle people saying things like that about her, but for him to accuse the Starks of that when they'd been nothing but wonderful to her_ , _ and in front of everybody, too - That was just going too far.

There was a sort of ringing in her ears and Flash’s face had come into tight focus. Her body was telling her to lash out, to fight, but she tensed her muscles and kept her feet firmly on the ground. This was a Penny Parker problem, not a Spider-Woman one.

“Mr. Stark gave all the kids at Queensborough new stuff, not just me,” she said in a sharp voice that almost didn't sound like her. “And you shouldn’t say stuff like that about him. He helped save your life, Flash! He’s a hero.”

Flash’s eyes darted to the side for a second before he visibly gathered himself. “So? Doesn’t mean he can’t be a pervert. I’m not even sure I blame him. You might be a dork but you’re not half-bad looking, Parker.”

Her nose scrunched up in disgust when he took a step closer even as her blood pressure spiked at him calling Tony a pervert. “You know what, maybe you and I can work something out.” Penny leaned away at the cruel smile on his face and her chest twisted, something awful bubbling up inside of her. She felt dirty just from his proximity. “They’re talking about making me the captain of the Decathlon team next year.”

Melissa scoffed at the obvious lie - Flash was not the most talented member on the team by any stretch of the imagination - but he ignored her. Penny took a step back when he leaned further into her space and lowered his voice.

“Maybe I could get you on the team, if you do something for me.” He reached out and lightly ran the knuckle of a finger down her ribcage. The sick feeling in her gut intensified and she groped blindly at the surface of the table next to her. She knew he wasn't serious, not really, and that he was just using this as a way to humiliate her, but it still made her skin crawl.

“Hey!” Melissa said and shot to her feet. “Don’t touch her, you creep!”

Flash had a crazed look in his eyes, though, like he knew he was going too far but just couldn’t stop himself. Penny wondered if he’d just been bottling it up the last few months, the jealousy eating away at him as he watched Penny be picked up twice a week by someone she knew was his hero. Then he’d probably been told he couldn’t pick on her or risk getting in trouble, and wow, maybe the school counselor had known what she’d been doing when she’d insisted he see her twice a week, after all. This was intense, even for him.

“After all, I bet you’re pretty good, since it was Tony Stark who taught you to suck c-”

Penny’s hand wrapped around the handle of her lunchbox and she stepped back and swung it around in a wide arc. She somehow managed to reign in her strength so she didn’t hit him any harder than the average teenage girl would have but it was still heavy, made of metal and stuffed full of Tony’s miniature heating and cooling units and half her lunch.

It hit the side of his face with a solid _ thump _. His eyes widened in pained surprised just before he was knocked off his feet. He landed on the ground, hard, and the whole room went quiet as they watched a lone tooth fly through the air and hit the cafeteria floor before skittering to a halt half a foot from a freshman’s shoe.

Flash put a hand to his cheek, which was already red and swelling, lips parted in stunned disbelief, blood already dripping from the corner of his mouth. Penny stood, legs apart and Iron Man lunchbox still held aloft. To her surprise she didn’t feel guilty at all. His last words were still ringing through her mind, the sick feeling of his finger lingering on her ribcage like he had any right to touch her.

“Holy crap,” somebody said, jolting Penny from her shock. 

She slowly lowered the lunchbox and stared at Flash, whose eyes were filling with tears. He wasn’t saying anything though, just looking right back at her, just as shocked at her actions as she was.

“Penny Parker! What were you thinking?” 

She swallowed thickly when the gym teacher, Ms. Yeta, pushed her way through the crowd of students who were now surrounding them. “I -”

“You’re coming straight to the office. Flash, go to the nurse, then join us.”

To Penny’s surprise Melissa stepped forward and she vaguely realized she may have underestimated the other girl’s bravery these past months. “Penny was only defending herself! That creep was -”

“She can tell it to Mr. Morita,” Ms. Yeta said firmly.

Penny gritted her teeth and blinked rapidly to keep herself from breaking down into frustrated tears while Ms. Yeta helped Flash to his feet. 

He seemed to have recovered from his shock because he was already blustering past the pain. “You’re done at this school, Parker! My father will...”

Melissa grabbed her arm and shoved Penny's phone into her hand. “Unlock that for me, okay?” she said before turning and pointing to a freshman who was holding a phone up. “You! You recorded the whole thing, right? Send it to me.”

000

Rhodey took a bite of his burger and groaned. “Man, I missed this place,” he said after swallowing. 

“That’s what happens when you spend months away. You go into New York food withdrawals.”

Rhodey smiled and shrugged. “Hey, the position is demanding, what can I say?”

“Yeah, yeah, _ General _ Rhodes, I get it, you’re very important.”

Rhodey rolled his eyes and picked up a fry. They were at a small hole-in-the-wall diner that had survived every disaster the past fifteen years had thrown at it while still managing to make some of the best burgers in the city. “What about you?”

“What about me?” Tony said casually, but he knew Rhodey wasn’t fooled.

“Oh, come on. You somehow picked up a second kid while I was across the world. I know you, Tony, you’re dying to tell me about her.” He pointed his fry at Tony to emphasize his point before taking a bite off the end.

Tony leaned back and rested his forearm on the booth, fiddling with a butter knife as a small smile played across his lips. “Her name is Penny Parker. Her last living relative died on the day of the snap. Penny came back after the blip to no one and ended up in one of those group homes.”

Rhodey’s eyes turned down in the corners, which they only did when he was genuinely upset. “Damn. Poor kid.”

“Yeah,” Tony said softly and swirled his coffee around in his cup. “But she didn’t let it beat her. I mean when we met it was like she was carrying around all this loneliness, you could practically see it on her. But she got up every day and tried her hardest. She goes to this STEM school for genius kids, one of four to get a full scholarship there.” And, yes, okay, he was bragging a bit. “She’s tied for the top GPA of her class.”

Rhodey let out a low whistle. “So she already takes after you and Pepper, then.”

Tony couldn’t quite stop his smile. “You should see her in the lab. She’s - well, she’s going to be a damn fine engineer, though I think her real knack is in biochemistry. She’s so sweet, too, Rhodey, she just exudes goodness, you’re going to -”

His phone rang where it was sitting on the table and they both stopped and looked at it. He’d set it to only ring if his family or the Avengers called while they were at lunch and Rhodey knew it. Tony picked it up and raised a brow when he saw Penny’s name on the screen. “Speak of the devil. She must still be at lunch. Let me grab this.”

“Sure, Tones.”

He put it to his ear. “Hey, Pen. I thought lunchtime was over by now.”

“M-Mr. Stark?” a soft voice said. He barely recognized it as Melissa's through the strain in it.

All of his relaxed calm disappeared and he sat up. “Melissa? Why are you calling me from Penny’s phone?”

“It’s - I’m sorry, Mr. Stark. Penny unlocked it so I could call. I think - I think you should come down here as fast as possible. Penny’s in - in trouble.”

He was already pulling out his wallet and dropping a stack of money on the table. Rhodey didn’t need to be told to grab his stuff and stand up. “What do you mean, trouble?”

“It’s - there’s this boy. I don’t think she’s told you about him. He’s always been kind of a bully, but I think after you took her in her they made him stop picking on her. But today I guess he just got too angry and he - it was really awful, Mr. Stark. I know Penny hit him but he was - it was harassment.” He heard her take a deep breath even as he paused in surprise. Penny had hit somebody? “It was _sexual_ harassment. He even touched her -”

Tony stumbled and would have fallen into the door if Rhodey hadn’t grabbed his arm. “That little fucker did what?”

His voice came out low and calm but Melissa must have heard the danger in it because she cleared her throat. “There’s a video. The idiot did it in front of everyone. I’ll send it, but Mr. Stark, they just took her to the office and I’m afraid they’ll make her sit with _ him _ and there’s something wrong with him, Mr. Stark, I mean he’s always been mean but then he came back with the blip and it was just worse, you know?”

Tony breathed in deeply and tossed the keys to Rhodey, gesturing that he should drive and mouthing _ Forest Hills _ at him. “Send me the video. I’m on my way. And Melissa - thank you.”

He hung up and immediately found the school in his contacts. It rang twice before someone picked up. “Midtown School of Science and -”

“This is Tony Stark, put me through to Mr. Morita.”

His phone buzzed against his ear to notify him of an incoming text. “Um, yes, of course, right away, Mr. Stark.”

A few moments later Mr. Morita’s voice came over the line. “I was just about to call you, Dr. Star -”

“I’m on my way. You keep my kid away from that little pervert, you hear me? I’m talking at least two hundred feet of space. If I found out he even sneezed at her before I get there I will have my lawyers descending on your school so fast you won’t have time to say ‘unemployment’ before you’re out on your ass.”

There was a long pause before a strangled, “Understood, Dr. Stark,” came over the line. He hung up and let out a breath.

“What’s going on, Tony?” Rhodey asked in that calm voice that said he was ready to suit up and kick ass if Tony needed him to.

“Some punk -” he couldn’t even get the words out. _ Sexual harassment, he even touched her. _ Jesus. It was going to be a miracle if he didn’t end up in jail for murdering a minor before the end of the day. “I have a video, let’s just watch it.”

He opened the message from Melissa and clicked the play button after putting it in hologram mode so Rhodey could watch, too. He was driving, but it’s not like he couldn’t handle both at once. Piloting the armor was much more difficult, after all.

Penny was sitting next to Melissa at a table in the cafeteria of Midtown. A smarmy, tall boy with weirdly perfect hair was looming over her. Tony recognized the look on his face. Jealousy and hatred and _ why are you better than me? _ all rolled up into one vitriolic package. 

Penny shut her lunchbox and said, “Leave me alone, Flash.” They’d obviously missed the beginning of the conversation but considering the tension in the room, he guessed it hadn’t been pleasant.

“Damn, Tony, she’s adorable,” Rhodey said. They were stopped at a light so he could put all his focus on the high school drama unfolding in front of them. “She’s the one with the curls, right?”

His lips turned up on one side. “Yep.” She _ was _ pretty damn cute. 

Flash’s next words chased all the warmth from him. “What, don’t want anybody to know how you earned that internship?” His tone made what he was really saying very, very clear.

While Melissa jumped in to defend her Tony exchanged a look with Rhodey, whose expression had gone hard. “That little fucker’s going down.”

“No shit,” Tony said, then sucked in a breath at Flash’s next words. Where were kids learning this shit? Jesus. Suggesting that he and Pepper had hired an intern just to...he let out a breath. 

Tony assumed the kid was just repeating a theory he’d heard someone else spout, maybe a parent that didn’t like that the poor girl from Queens was outperforming his son. God, Tony hated rich people sometimes.

He raised a brow when Penny stood, looking ready to fight, and told him to shut up. There was a glimmer of Spider-Woman in her posture and he wondered how the kid - Flash, such a stupid name - was missing the signs of imminent danger.

He could almost guess what she was thinking as doubt and then determination flitted across her face. “That’s my girl,” he muttered even as Flash called Tony Penny’s sugar daddy. 

Tony felt sick at the words but not surprised. Some people were always willing to twist something pure into something awful to suit their own bitterness. He grinned when Penny’s lip curled. Yeah, Flash was going down, the moron. 

All humor left him the moment the little asshole stepped into her space, an honest-to-god leer on his face. Penny leaned away from him, disgust and nervousness twisting her face. “He’s dead,” Tony breathed when Flash spoke, asking _ his daughter _ for sexual favors in exchange for a spot on a team that Penny could get in her damn sleep.

He saw the moment Flash took it too far, the way he ran a finger down her side. Tony wanted to reach through time and space and break his hand before it could make contact.

“Holy shit!” Rhodey said, then whooped when Penny grabbed the Iron Man lunch box Tony had made her as a joke but never expected her to love (but she did, she insisted on using it every day and it made something in his chest swell and flutter every morning) and swing it around. It hit Flash’s face with a satisfying thunk and Tony barked out a laugh when one of his teeth exited his mouth.

“Wish she’d knocked out a few more. I’m going to destroy this kid. I’m going to get him expelled, and then I’m going to make sure that none of the private schools in the city - no, the _ country, _ will take him. See how easy it is to get into the college of his choice after that.”

He expected Rhodey to cut in with something about how he was ‘only a kid,’ but he was just nodding along, face dark. “He won’t be so smug once you and Pepper are done with him.”

Tony blinked, then smiled and clapped Rhodey on the shoulder. He sent the video to Pepper along with a quick, _ I’m on my way to the school. _

He spent the rest of the ride having FRIDAY pull up all the information he could find on one Eugene ‘Flash’ Thompson and his parents. By the time they pulled into the parking lot he was almost looking forward to facing them.

Without needing to discuss anything they both put on their Very Serious Superhero expressions, complete with sunglasses. Melissa was waiting for them by the front door and Tony’s whole ‘ready to destroy you and everything you love’ persona was marred when she let out a little sniffle and threw herself against Tony for a hug.

They’d only shaken hands before but she’d become enough of a fixture in their house on the weekends, working on the mysterious robot that she and Penny refused to tell him about, that he supposed he was less ‘Iron Man’ and more ‘Penny’s rich foster dad’ to her now.

Rhodey had to look away to hide his smile when Tony awkwardly patted her back. “Mr. Stark, it was horrible, did you see? You won’t let them expel her, right? If they do, can you, can you help me get into the same school she ends up at?”

Tony pushed her away gently by her shoulders and did his best to smile kindly, wishing Pepper was there. “Kid, they aren’t going to expel her, I promise. If we decide to switch schools I’ll personally make sure you get to come along. I’ll even cover tuition.”

Melissa blushed but also looked incredibly relieved. “Yeah, if there’s one thing my parents are willing to spend on me it’s money, so don’t worry about that, Mr. Stark.”

He sighed and patted her shoulder. There was a reason she spent a lot of time at their place. “Come on, shouldn’t you be in class?”

“I kind of want to see you lay into Mr. Thompson, actually,” she said after wiping her eyes.

Tony looked at her with new respect. “You and Penny are a lot alike, you know. Sweet, smart, and tough as hell when you need to be.”

Melissa turned even redder and ducked her head before turning to look at Rhodey. “Oh!” she squeaked. “You’re General Rhodes! It’s an honor, sir.”

“Rhodey, this is Penny’s best friend, Melissa. Melissa, my best friend, James Rhodes.”

“Wow,” she whispered, but that seemed to be the extent of how far she was willing to take her hero worship. 

“Go to class, kid,” Tony said. “I’ll make sure you get excused for skipping.”

“But -”

“Nope. You’re not old enough to see the carnage that’s about to happen.”

Melissa stopped outside the office door and held out a phone. “This is Penny’s. Um. Will you have her call or text me so I know she’s okay?”

“Sure, kid,” Tony said while Rhodey grabbed the phone from her before handing it over to Tony. “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.”

Melissa bit her lip and nodded. “Penny told me once, after the thing with Queensborough, that you could fix anything. That’s why she feels so safe now.”

Tony cleared his throat and was glad for the sunglasses covering his eyes. It wasn’t true, of course. There were things even Tony Stark couldn’t change, but that sort of faith was humbling. It made him want to try even harder to keep her safe and happy.

Melissa took a step back and smiled up at him. “I can kind of see where she’s coming from. I’ll see you this weekend, Mr. Stark.” 

“Sweet girl,” Rhodey drawled after she’d left, then looked over at Tony. “Shall we?”

Tony pulled his Tony Fucking Stark persona back around him, then pushed the door to the office open.

Flash was sitting in one of the waiting area chairs, an ice pack against his cheek and looking a combination of self-satisfied and miserable. Tony narrowed his eyes but didn’t call his attention to them. Instead, he breezed past Flash to the front desk, Rhodey on his six, and knocked his knuckles on the counter to get the woman sitting there’s attention. 

“Mr. Stark!” she said. He heard a gasp from Flash’s general direction.

“Hello. I’m here about my daughter, Penny Parker. Where is she?”

“Oh my god,” Flash said in a sick-sounding voice behind him. That’s right, you little shit, let it sink in, the reality of just who you were messing with.

“Oh, she, she’s in an empty classroom down the hall, waiting for you. Mr. Thompson is in with Principle Morita.”

Tony only hesitated for a moment. Should he go lay into those men like he so, so wanted to, or go to Penny first? The answer was obvious. He turned back towards the outer door of the office. "Where exactly is she?" 

“Hey, Tony, why don’t I go in and...get the conversation started?” Rhodey said pleasantly and held out his hand. It took a moment for Tony to realize he wanted his phone so he had access to the video. “As her godfather, I’m sure it’s fine that I help you handle this.”

Tony’s lips twitched and he handed it over. “Of course, General Rhodes. The faster this gets taken care of, the better. I’ll be in to discuss terms as soon as I make sure my daughter is alright.”

Flash whimpered and Tony really shouldn’t be getting so much pleasure from torturing a high schooler, but he could still see the little shit’s expression when he reached out and touched Penny. He was pretty sure nothing he did would make the simmering anger subside.

He’d even gotten permission from Pepper in the form of a text. _ Burn them. I’ll handle things on this end. _

Damn, he loved her.

After getting directions to the classroom Penny was in, he exited the office area and made his way down the hall. He paused outside the door and looked in through the window. Penny was perched on the empty teacher’s desk, face pale and pinched, staring straight ahead. She wasn’t crying, but she was shredding the edge of the pink long-sleeved t-shirt she was wearing and chewing on her lip hard enough that he was worried she’d draw blood.

He opened the door and stepped inside and her head shot up. “D- Tony!” 

She stood and he raised a brow when she lifted her chin in the air. “I’m not sorry. I know I shouldn’t have done it, but, but he said horrible things about you and Pepper and then he touched me, and I’m not sorry!”

Ah, there were the tears he’d expected. He crossed the room in three strides and pulled her against him. “Good,” he said in a hard voice. “Because any time somebody touches you without your permission I want you to handle it just like that. You got me?”

She nodded against his shoulder and took a shuddering breath. “I don’t understand. Flash has always been awful but that was -”

“That was jealousy at its worst.” He pulled back and pushed her hair out of her face with both hands. “He’s an entitled little shit. I’ve seen hundreds just like him. Think they deserve to be the best and can’t handle it when someone outshines them, so they try to tear you down. You handled it just right, honey.”

“Really?”

“Really, really. Your Uncle Rhodey is already impressed with you just from watching you take out that kid with one hit. And with my lunchbox, too, I’m honored.”

Penny frowned but leaned into his touch when he continued to pet her hair with his metal hand. Just like Morgan and Pepper, she didn’t even seem to notice. “How did General Rhodes see what happened?”

“He just got into town. We were having lunch when Melissa called and sent us a video someone took of the altercation. He’s in with that little asshole’s dad and your principle right now.”

Penny’s cheeks flushed red. “Oh my god, he saw that?” Then, in a hushed tone, “Then you heard the - the things he said.”

“Hey, none of that,” he said, because she looked ashamed, like what Flash had said was somehow her fault. “He was just spewing the worst thing he could think of. And the shit he said at the end...” he trailed off, knowing that Pepper would be the best one to talk to Penny about this particular situation but not wanting to let it fester. “You know that’s not you, Penny. He crossed a line and that is not your fault. Alright?”

Penny bit her lip and nodded and Tony decided it was good enough until Pepper could talk to her. She’d gotten more insuations that she’d slept her way to the top than she could count, despite all the evidence that she was the best CEO Stark Industries had ever had.

“You wanna watch me eviscerate them, honey?”

She sniffled and bit her lip. “I - can I just wait in the car?”

“Of course. It’ll unlock with your handprint.” He hugged her again. “I’ll send Rhodey out to keep you company. You’ll love him, I promise.”

“Okay,” she whispered. He studied her closely, but she didn’t look like she’d fall apart if he left her alone for five minutes. Of course not, she was made of sterner stuff than that.

“Here’s your phone. Text your mom and Melissa before they both combust from worry.” Her eyes widened and it took him a moment to realize what he’d said. Right, he and Pepper had agreed to let her go at her own pace and not push the whole _ mom and dad _ thing. 

She took the phone and smiled tremulously at him and he had to remind himself why he couldn’t take her home and wrap her in approximately fifty fluffy blankets right that second. 

He watched her walk down the hall before turning back towards the office. Right. Showtime. He strode inside, not bothering to look over at the woman at the desk.

He slowed when he got to Flash, turning towards him and just _ looking, _ making sure he saw the menace in his posture. His face went pale and the ice pack dropped from his hand. Tony knew better than to outright threaten him with words, but he let his posture do the talking for him.

Flash opened and closed his mouth a few times. His lower lip trembled and Tony raised a brow. It was only when he managed to say, “Mr. Stark -” that Tony turned on his heel and kept walking. Flash made a small, scared sound and Tony knew his message had been sent. Hopefully, the kid would take this all as a wake-up call.

He walked into Morita’s office like he owned it. Rhodey was standing in front of Mr. Morita’s desk, facing off with a tall man with thinning hair and broad shoulders.

“ - all that video proves is that she hit him without provocation! I want her expelled, and you can tell her ‘foster dad,’” Tony bristled at the air quotes, “that he’ll be hearing from our lawyers.”

“Since when does sexual harassment not count as provocation?” Tony said mildly after closing the door.

All three men turned to face him. Rhodey had taken off his sunglasses and it was obvious he was on the verge of losing his temper. “Rhodey, would you mind going to sit in the car with Penny?”

He let out a breath. “Of course not. I’ve been looking forward to meeting my new niece for months.” He clapped Tony on the shoulder as he went by him and breathed, “make it hurt,” on his way out.

Principle Morita had beads of sweat on his forehead and was looking particularly peaky. “Dr. Stark. Thank you for coming. This is John Thompson, Eugene’s -”

“Oh, I know who he is,” Tony said lightly and put his hands in his pockets, not bothering to take off his sunglasses as he sauntered over. “I made sure to look him up on the drive over. Wanted to know what kind of man would raise somebody like _ Eugene.” _

Thompson narrowed his eyes. “Is that supposed to scare me?” he blustered.

Tony grinned and was gratified when Thompson took a small step back, then he deliberately turned away from him towards Mr. Morita. “Here’s how this is going to go. Eugene is going to be expelled.”

“Excuse me -”

“If you fight me on this I guarantee Pepper will rain hellfire down on this school in the form of our very, very competent legal team. I’ll also make sure that the world knows exactly what I think of a school that doesn’t take sexual harassment and bullying seriously.”

Mr. Morita licked his lips and his eyes flitted between the two of them. “Eugene is troubled, it’s true, but he’s still adjusting from -”

“I don’t care,” Tony said in a hard voice. “You saw the video. You saw what he said to my daughter, you saw him touch her without permission. I refuse to let her be in the same building as him ever again.”

“I’ll sue -”

Tony spun on Thompson. “Oh yeah? Go ahead, I dare you. See how far it gets you.” He took a step forward and pulled off his sunglasses. “I think you’re a little confused about how this works, Thompson. You’re used to being a big fish in a little pond. What you and your son don’t seem to realize, though, is that you’re no longer the biggest fish around. I am _ Tony Stark. _ My wife is Pepper Stark. Are you getting it now?”

For the first time since the conversation started, Thompson actually seemed unsure of himself. Tony tilted his head to the side. “The company you work for has a few big contracts with SI, you know. I think I’ll cancel those.”

Thompson let out a small sound of distress. “You can’t -”

“When people ask why I’m looking for new contractors I’ll just let them know that I had...moral objections to doing business with someone who would hire you.”

Thompson swallowed and Tony raised a brow. “Fine,” he spat. “Eugene can do better than this school, anyway.” 

Tony decided not to mention that he was cancelling the contracts no matter what Thompson did, or that Flash wouldn’t be getting into any of the top science schools if he had anything to say about it. He wouldn’t do anything beyond that - for now. But he’d be keeping an eye on Eugene and if he continued to act like a little sociopath Tony would take his whole life-ruining plan to the next level.

“Great.” Both men jumped when Tony clapped his hands before rubbing them together. “I think we can all agree that a seminar on the evils of sexual harassment and bullying wouldn’t be amiss for the students of Midtown. Wouldn’t want me to feel like my daughter wasn’t safe here, right, Mr. Morita?”

He cleared his throat. “I - yes, of course. I’m sure we can find something in our budget -”

Tony waved a hand in the air. “Nonsense. Pep and I will cover it. In fact, we’ll talk to the company that does the seminars for SI. I’m sure they’ve got something kiddie-sized.”

“That’s very generous, Dr. Stark,” Mr. Morita said, looking a little more upbeat and less like he was going to throw up.

“Oh, I’ll think you’ll find I’m very capable of generosity.” He glanced at Thompson and knew they heard what he wasn’t saying. He was also capable of raining destruction down on those who messed with his family.

Thompson cleared his throat. “I’ll be leaving, then,” he said and swept out of the room with as much dignity as he could manage.

Tony turned towards Morita and waited. Eventually, he adjusted his tie and sighed. “Usually we have a zero-tolerance policy for violence, but taking circumstances into account, I think we can agree that Penny was only protecting herself.”

Tony hummed and nodded. “Yes, I think we can both agree on that.” 

Morita sighed. “I apologize, Dr. Stark. That shouldn’t have happened.”

Tony studied him, but the man seemed genuine so he shrugged. “Teenagers are assholes. Just as long as you take it seriously when it happens and do your best to make sure it doesn’t, then it’s not really your fault.”

From the way Mr. Morita’s eyes darted to the side, Tony had a feeling that they didn’t, in fact, always take it seriously. Well, that’s what the seminars were for. Pepper had made sure to get the best there was for those things and even made Tony go to them. He had to admit they were effective and he could only assume the ones for students would be the same.

“Alright. Well, I’m going to take Penny home. Oh, by the way, Melissa Gentry missed a few classes. She was upset about what happened. Can you...”

Mr. Morita waved his hand in the air, looking tired and completely done with his day. Tony could relate. He said his goodbyes and texted an update to Pepper on his way to the car. Thankfully, there was no sign of the Thompsons anywhere.

When he got to the car Rhodey and Penny were sitting on the hood eating candy bars. He couldn’t even be upset about the dents he was sure he’d find there later because Penny was looking up at Rhodey and laughing as he said, “and that’s how Tony got banned from all the Sororities on campus.”

“Betrayal!” he gasped and put a hand to his chest.

Penny lit up at his appearance and the last of the tension drained from his shoulders. “Tony! Uncle Rhodey was telling me about how you two met.”

He settled on the hood next to her and snagged a candy bar. “Wait, how is he already Uncle Rhodey? It took me weeks to convince you to call me Tony.”

Penny rolled her eyes. “Well, yeah, you were kind of my boss at the time.”

He opened the wrapper and took a bite, only giving the cursory objections when Rhodey launched into a retelling of how Tony blew up a lab during his Sophomore year at MIT. They spent the next half an hour like that, enjoying the spring sunshine while Rhodey told story after embarrassing story about young Tony. 

Penny looked less and less pale and shaky as the conversation continued and eventually she leaned lightly against Tony like she was waiting for a sign that he didn't want her there. She still tended to initiate shows of affection with trepidation, as though afraid Tony and Pepper will have changed their minds.

He wrapped his arm around her and pressed his nose into her hair, breathing in the sweet scent of the shampoo Pepper had bought to help her tame her curls. Rhodey met his gaze over her head as she explained a paper she was writing for biology. He nodded once as though to say, _ you did good, Tony. _

And, yeah, there were a lot of things in his past that Tony regretted, that he’d thought was right at the time but turned out to be a disaster later. Penny, he knew, wouldn’t ever be one of those. Tony nodded back and tightened his arm around her.

He couldn’t help but ponder all the ways he could weaponize her lunchbox on the drive home.

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I know I leveled up Flash on the evil scale, but, eh, I'm okay with it :D


End file.
